UK to ship arms to Iraqi Kurds in fight against IS militants
Fallon said plans for the shipment followed a request from the Iraqi government.
Islamic State jihadists, also known as ISIS or ISIL, have taken over vast swaths of territory in northern Iraq as well as parts of Syria since launching a major offensive in early June, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee their advance.
The arms shipment, worth £1.6 million ($2.6 million/€2 million), will arrive in Iraq on Wednesday.
"The initial gifting package... will consist of heavy machine guns and ammunition," he said.
Fallon noted that the Kurds' formidable Peshmerga fighting force is at a "significant" disadvantage compared to the well-equipped fighters of the Islamist militant group.
"The Kurdish forces remain significantly less well equipped than ISIL and we are responding to help them defend themselves, protect citizens and push back ISIL advances," he said in a written statement to parliament.
He added that Britain was committed to "alleviating the humanitarian suffering of those Iraqis targeted by ISIL terrorists".
'Broader threat'
British Prime Minister David Cameron announced Monday that Britain would be directly supplying Kurdish troops.
Fallon said that London will continue to promote an "inclusive, sovereign and democratic Iraq that can push back on ISIL advances and restore stability and security across the country".
Fallon emphasised that the Islamic State militant group poses a growing threat that extends far beyond the Middle East.
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He said Britain would continue to work with the international community "to tackle the broader threat that ISIL poses to the region and other countries around the world, including the UK".
On the sidelines of a NATO summit last week, US Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel told defence ministers from Britain, France, Germany, Canada, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Poland and Denmark that they, along with the United States, formed the "core" of an alliance to tackle the Sunni militant group.
"It is the core group that will form the larger and extended coalition that's going to be required to deal with this challenge," he said.
French President François Hollande agreed to take part in an international coalition if Baghdad and the United Nations approved its actions.
"France is ready to act, but once a political accord is there and with respect to international law," he said.
The US Department of Defence announced Tuesday that US forces had launched new strikes on Islamic State targets on Sunday and Monday to support Iraqi forces and Sunni tribal fighters protecting the Haditha Dam and the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and REUTERS)
